Advantages of incompetent management (yosefk.com)

Article summary

The article discusses the advantages of incompetent management, where a lack of clear objectives and inefficient use of resources can lead to a more relaxed and creative work environment. In contrast, competent management can create a culture of optimization and efficiency, but this can also lead to a focus on meeting targets rather than doing what is best for the company. The article also touches on the idea that resources, such as CPU cycles and memory bytes, are often hoarded by teams and individuals, and that this can lead to inefficiencies and waste. This behavior is driven by the desire to have a cushion against future needs and to avoid being penalized for not meeting targets.

Main themes

• Incompetent management
• Optimization and efficiency
• Resource allocation
• Corporate culture
• Incentives and motivation

What commenters say

• Optimization can have negative consequences, such as creating a culture of competition for resources rather than cooperation, and can lead to waste and inefficiency.
• In some cases, having a larger budget can actually hinder a project's success, as it can lead to a lack of discipline and focus.
• The idea that compute resources are unlimited is a myth, and the environmental and financial costs of cloud computing should not be ignored.
• CI systems are often slow and inefficient due to unnecessary overhead and poor resource allocation, and running tests locally on a developer's machine can be a more effective solution.
• The root cause of inefficiencies in software development is often bad management, rather than technical issues or a lack of resources.
• Some commenters argue that optimization is necessary and beneficial, and that it can lead to significant improvements in performance and efficiency, while others see it as a waste of time and resources.